If the Mets weren’t eleven and a half games out of first and losing players to injury like it was going out of style, this would be a pretty excellent time to scoop up tickets to see them. They’ve slashed the prices on some of their most expensive seats for many of their remaining 26 home games, including ones with the first-place Phillies. But, this being the Mets, it has to be a bit more complicated thanthat.

The promotion is technically meant for TheaterMania members, because why wouldn’t a baseball team want to offer its best deals to Broadway fans instead of its own fans? Of course, it’s free to register on TheaterMania’s website and then access the ticket page, so by last night, when word started to spread, the site had crashed. But this also can’t be welcome news for Mets fans who shelled out $180 in advance, only to sit next to someone who paid half that now that the team is struggling and because they also happen to be a fan of The Lion King. The Mets say the discounts have nothing to do with tickets not selling well, which is probably at least partially true: They’ve filled Citi Field to 94 percent capacity this season. Presumably, they just don’t expect to sell anymore.

At least when the Yankees cut their ticket prices, they gave existing ticket holders either a partial refund or additional tickets. Perhaps the Mets could have taken a page from another lost cause, the Knicks, who know that once the season is basically over, the best (and fairest) way to a fan’s heart is through his or herstomach.